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 35
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65
The county was named for the river which formed a large part of its eastern boundary. As at first created, it contained an area of over seven thousand square miles. The settlement of western New York progressed so rapidly that the erection of new counties was soon demanded. Genesee was therefore reduced by the creation of Allegany County April 7, 1806; Cat- taraugus, Chautauqua and Niagara counties March 11, 1808, (Niagara then included the present Erie County) ; Livingston and Monroe counties February 23, 1821; Orleans County Novem- ber 12, 1824, and Wyoming County May 14, 1841. These suc- cessive reductions, and some minor changes in boundary lines, left Genesee with its present area of 496 square miles.
Genesee County was not organized until the spring of 1803. Then Joseph Ellicott was appointed first judge of the court of common pleas, but resigned soon after his appointment and was succeeded by Ezra Platt; Benjamin Ellicott and John H. Jones were associate judges; James W. Stevens, clerk; Richard M. Stoddard, sheriff; Joseph Ellicott, treasurer. In 1804 Jeremiah R. Munson was appointed surrogate.
The act of March 30, 1802, which created Genesee County, also established the town of Batavia, embracing practically the entire Holland Purchase. Commissioners were appointed to
1118
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
organize the town and the first town meeting was held at the log tavern of Peter Vandeventer, in the village of Batavia, March 1, 1803. Says Judge Noah: "The function of this meeting extended over territory having a radius of a hundred miles, though the most distant settlements were at Buffalo, twen- ty-two miles west, and at the East Transit, twenty-four miles east. But, despite the long distance many of them were com- pelled to travel, and in the season of the year when new roads were very apt to be almost impassable, the number of the assembled voters was so large that the polls were opened out of doors by Enos Kellogg, one of the commissioners appointed for the purpose of organizing the town of Batavia. * Mr. Kellogg, after calling the meeting to order, announced that Peter Vandeventer and Jotham Bemis, of Batavia village, were candidates for supervisor. Mr. Kellogg placed the two candi- dates side by side in the road and then directed the voters to fall in line, each beside the man of his choice. Seventy-four stood by Vandeventer and seventy by Bemis, and the former was declared elected."
This was the first town within the limits of the Holland Pur- chase. The other officers then elected were: David Cully, clerk; Enos Kellogg, Asa Ransom and Alexander Rhea (or Rea), asses- sors; Abel Rowe, collector; Levi Fulton, Rufus Hart, Hugh Howell, Seymour Kellogg, John Mudge and Abel Rowe, constables. After the voting a count of absentees showed that four from the east side and five from the west had failed to attend, making 153 voters in the Holland Purchase. At the state election the following month 189 votes were cast, indicating the rapid increase in the number of settlers.
Four new towns were set off from Batavia in 1812; others followed, and since the creation of Wyoming County, in 1841, Genesee County has consisted of thirteen towns, Alabama, Alex- ander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Darien, Elba, Le Roy, Oakfield, Pavilion, Pembroke and Stafford.
The town of Alabama was erected April 17, 1826, from Shelby, Orleans County. It was at first called Gerrysville, after Elbridge Gerry, a former vice president of the United States. On April 21, 1828, the name was changed to Alabama and about four years later part of the town of Wales, Erie County, was
1119
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
annexed. The first town meeting was held April 17, 1826, when Benjamin Gumaer was elected supervisor.
Near Oak Orchard Creek in this town are the famous acid springs, sometimes called the Alabama sour springs. These springs, nine in number, lie within a radius of 300 yards and no two are alike, as analysis of the water has shown. A descrip- tion of these springs, published in the New York Journal of Com- merce in July, 1849, says: "These springs are in Tonawanda swamp, on a little elevation, on which and in the immediate vicin- ity, eight springs have been discovered, three of which are acid, one sulphur, one magnesia, one iron, and one gas spring sufficient to light fifty gas burners. The principal one is called 'sour spring,' from which the celebrated acid water is taken, which is carried in great quantities to the Eastern cities, and many boxes have been sent to Western states. About 25,000 bottles have been sold this past year at 25 cents per bottle."
In 1806 James Wadsworth located within the present limits of Alabama and is credited with having been the first perma- nent white settler. It seems he was the only one for several years. James and John Richardson, Samuel Sheldon and one or two others came in 1814 and after the War of 1812 the settle- ment was more rapid.
A little north of the center of the town is the village of Ala- bama, formerly called Alabama Center. When the West Shore Railroad was built through the town it missed the village. A station called Alabama was established directly south of the village, though the postoffice name is Basom, for Samuel Basom, an early settler. Julius Ingalsbe was appointed the first post- master in 1889. Wheatville, or South Alabama, another village of the town, was the site of Samuel Whitcomb's sawmill built in 1824. Levi Lee and a man named Parrish were the first merchants.
The town of Alexander was erected June 8, 1812, from the town of Batavia, and the first town meeting was held on the 12th of the same month. In 1868 the town records were destroyed by fire, and it is impossible to give a list of the officers then chosen. The town was named for Alexander Rhea, who had been a sur- veyor with Joseph Ellicott, and who built a sawmill in 1804 where the village of Alexander is now situated. Mr. Rhea was elected
1120
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
state senator in 1808 and later held a commission as brigadier- general in the state militia. Other pioneers were : William Adams, William Blackman, Caleb and Solomon Blodgett, Seba Brainard, Elisha Carver, Dr. Charles Chaffee, George Darrow, Lewis Dis- brow, Abel Ensign, Joseph and Marcellus Fellows, Harvey Haw- kins, John and Samuel Latham, Elias and John Lee, the Moultons, and the Riddles. The first grist mill was built by William Adams in 1808; Abel Ensign was the first merchant; Harvey Hawkins kept the first tavern; the first frame house was erected by the Lathams, and the first tannery was established by Alden Rich- ards. All of these activities were at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the village of Alexander. The first library in the county was started at Alexander in 1811, with Seba Brainard, Harvey Haw- kins, Henry Hawkins, Samuel Latham, Jr., Noah North, Ezra W. Osborn and Alexander Rhea as trustees. It was called the Alexandrian Library. A literary society was formed by the patrons of the library in 1828 and soon afterwards this society started a movement for the establishment of a classical school. The sum of $6,000 was raised by popular subscription and a build- ing was erected for the Genesee and Wyoming Seminary, which flourished as a private institution until 1886, when the building was turned over to the town for a union free school.
The village of Alexander was incorporated in 1834, but its early records have disappeared.
The first town meeting of the town of Batavia was held March 1, 1803, as already described. It is a matter of record that James Brisbane, Joseph and Benjamin Ellicott were living in the village of Batavia as early as 1798. In 1801 Isaac Sutherland came from Vermont and built the first frame house in Batavia. He was one of the architects who planned the first court house and was several times elected supervisor. In 1802 Worthy L. Churchill and William Rumsey located about three miles from the village. The former served in the War of 1812; was colonel of the 164th Regiment of the state militia, and in 1822 was elected sheriff of the county. Mr. Rumsey was a surveyor under Joseph Ellicott; was appointed justice of the peace in 1803; was a mem- ber of the first trial jury in 1804, and in 1808-09 represented Genesee County in the assembly. Other early settlers were: Thomas Ashley, John Branan, Gideon Dunham, Samuel F. Geer,
1121
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
John Lamberton, Dr. David McCracken, Benjamin Morgan, Abel Rowe, Stephen Russell and Aaron White.
The town of Bergen is part of the "Triangular Tract" sold to Le Roy, Bayard and McEvers from the Morris Reserve, and the western part contains two tiers of lots from the "Connecticut Tract," immediately west of the triangle. The pioneer of Bergen was Samuel Lincoln, who came in the spring of 1801, while the territory was still a part of Ontario County. Others who came that year were: Richard Abbey, Gideon Elliott, Jesse Leach, George,' James and William Letson, Solomon Levi, David Scott and Benajah Worden. The first sawmill was built by Jared Merrill, who sawed the lumber for the first frame house, erected by Dr. Levi Ward, the first physician and the first merchant. His store was opened in 1808. Samuel Butler established the first tavern in 1809.
Bergen was set off from Batavia June 8, 1812. There is no record showing how the town happened to be named for one of Norway's principal cities. The principal village is Bergen. A postoffice was established here at an early date with W. H. Ward as postmaster. In 1836 the Buffalo & Rochester Railroad was completed to Bergen. After this road was consolidated with others in 1853 to form the New York Central, the village began to grow more rapidly, but its most substantial development was in the years following the Civil war. Peter Weber began the manufacture of baskets in 1864; the village was incorporated in 1877; two years later O. J. Miller began building steam engines of various types; George H. Church established a sawmill and planing mill; a fire department was organized in 1886 and has been maintained ever since; a board of trade was formed in May, 1896; the private banking business of W. S. and C. E. Housel was established in Bergen, September 25, 1896.
The town of Bethany was formed from Batavia June 8, 1812. John Torrey came from Cayuga County in the spring of 1803 and was the first permanent settler. Before the close of that year, Charles Culver, John Dewey, Oliver Fletcher, David Hall, Orsa- mus Kellogg, George and Solomon Lathrop, Richard Pearson, Na- thaniel Pinney, Lyman D. and Samuel Prindle, Jedediah Riggs, Horace Shepard and others either settled there or bought land and came the following year. Sylvester Lincoln opened the first
30-Vol. 2
1122
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
tavern in the town in 1805. It was near the present Wyoming County line, a short distance east of the Little Tonawanda Creek. On this creek a man named Coles built a sawmill in 1808. It is recorded that the dam for this mill was twenty-four feet high. The next year Calvin Barrow established a carding and woolen factory there, and in 1810 Judge Isaac Wilson employed John Wilder to build the first grist mill in the town. This was the beginning of the village of Linden (first called Gad Pouch). Joseph Chamberlain opened a tavern there about 1810. Another early industry was the stone distillery of Nathaniel Eastman.
The town of Byron was erected April 4, 1820, from the west- ern part of Bergen, and was named for the poet, Lord Byron. Benham Preston, who located on Black Creek about 1807, was the first permanent settler. Among those who settled here prior to the breaking out of the War of 1812 were: John Bean, Elijah Brown, Paul Bullard, Wheaton Carpenter, Asahel and David Cook, Andrew Dibble, Benoni Gaines, Benjamin Griswold, Chester T. Holbrook, Nathan Holt, Elijah Loomis, Asa Merrill, Elisha Miller, Samuel and Sherrard Parker, Ezra Sanford, David Shedd, Elisha Taylor, William and Zeno Terry and Amasa Walker. It has been stated that the first sawmill was built by William Shepherd in 1813, and the first grist mill by Asa Williams the follow- ing year. There seems to be equally good authority for the state- ment that Samuel Parker built a sawmill in 1809 or 1810 and soon afterward built a grist mill in connection. The first store was opened by Amos Hewitt in 1813, and Ira Newburg estab- lished the first tavern in 1815. The first cheese factory in Gene- see County was built by a stock company a short distance south- west of the village of Byron in 1867. A large part of the product was exported to England and for many years the factory did a successful business. A man named Cummings established an iron foundry and James Taggart built a flour mill on Black Creek, about a half mile east of the village, some years before the Civil war. In 1874 the old Cummings foundry was bought by James McElver, who began the manufacture of agricultural implements. In 1884 the West Shore Railroad was opened for traffic and gave the business concerns of Byron an impetus.
On February 10, 1832, the southern part of Pembroke was set off as the town of Darien, and the first town meeting was held
1123
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
April 3, 1832, at the tavern of Stephen King. Hugh Long was then elected supervisor. Settlement began in this part of the county in 1803, when Orange Carter came from Vermont and located near the present village of Darien. Isaac Chaddock, also from Vermont, settled near Carter in 1804. A tavern was built there in 1808 by Stephen Parker and the settlement took the name of Darien City. In 1809 Amos Humphrey built the first sawmill. It was located on Eleven-mile Creek. Between that time and 1818 a number of families, mostly from New England, came into the town. Among them were the following: Anson Ackley, David Anderson, Harvey Butler, Ezra Clark, William Cole, William B. Garfield, Baxter Gilbert, Jonathan Hastings, Hiram Hedges, John A. Lathrop, Josiah Lee, John McCollister, Daniel Marsh, Joshua Peters, Horace Sloan, Daniel C. Stoddard, Jonathan, Thomas and William Vickery, Julius and Thorp Wildman. In 1815 Stephen King opened the first store and later a tavern. The place was known for many years as King's Corners. It was here the first town meeting was held in 1832. When the Erie Railroad was completed through the southern part of the town a station was established at the Corners under the name of Darien Center.
The town of Elba was erected from Batavia March 14, 1820, and then included the present town of Oakfield. The first town meeting was held the same day and Lemuel Foster was elected supervisor. On July 11, 1803, John Young purchased from the Holland Company a tract of land on Oak Orchard Creek, a short distance south of where the village of Elba now stands, and built the first frame house in the town. He and his wife came from Virginia on horseback early the following spring and took posses- sion of their cabin. It is said that their first bed consisted of a. large cotton bag, bought from James Brisbane at the Transit. store, filled with the down of the cat-tail flags which grew in the swamp near their farm. Following Young, came Bannan Clark, James, Jesse, John and Samuel Drake, Lemuel Foster, J. W. Gard- ner, Horace Gibbs, Isaac Higley, Elisha and Enos Kellogg, Daniel, George and John Mills, Patrick O'Fling, Asa Sawtelle, Dudley Sawyer, Comfort Smith, Mason and Thomas Turner, Aaron White, Borden Wilcox, Ephraim Wortman, all of whom were living in the town in 1812. In 1810 Horace Gibbs and Comfort Smith built a saw mill and grist mill on Spring Creek, the first in
1124
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
the town. The first settler on the site of Elba Village was John Roraback, who located there in 1804. He was a weaver by trade. Stephen Harmon opened the first tavern in the village in 1815; Solomon Smith established a wool carding mill and distillery at an early date; Samuel Laing opened the first store in 1819. The village was at first known as Pine Hill, but when the postoffice was established it was given the name of Elba, which was adopted by the town. The Bank of Elba was organized in 1916.
The town of Le Roy was erected June 8, 1812, from Caledonia, now in Livingston County. At that time war with Great Britain was imminent and the town was named Bellona, after the goddess of war. The next year the name was changed to Le Roy, in honor of Herman Le Roy, one of the original purchasers of the Triangle Tract, which constituted a considerable portion of the town. William Sheldon was elected supervisor at the first town meeting in 1813.
One of the first settlements in Genesee County was made in what is now the town of Le Roy. The pioneers there were Charles Wilbur and Capt. John Ganson. The latter was born in Vermont in 1750. At the beginning of the Revolution he enlisted as a private in a Vermont regiment and arrived at Boston in time to take part in the battle of Bunker Hill, where he lost one of his fingers. Soon after that he was commissioned captain and com- manded a company until the close of the war. He was with Gen- eral Sullivan's expedition in 1779 and saw for the first time the Genesee Country. After the war he decided to explore the region with a view to making it his home. In 1789, with his two sons, John and James, he set out on his journey and late in the fall bought land near the present village of Avon, Livingston County. Leaving his young sons with a friendly Seneca Indian, he returned to Vermont for his family. In 1797 he decided to remove to the west side of the Genesee and bought the farm of Charles Wilbur, where the village of Le Roy is now situated. After the survey of the Holland Land Purchase was completed a number of immi- grants came to the so-called Ganson settlement.
In May, 1801, Joseph Ellicott employed Richard M. Stoddard to make a survey of the Triangle Tract, and gave him special instructions with regard to laying off lots upon 500 acres at Buttermilk Falls on the Oatka Creek, just north of the Ganson
1125
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
settlement, where it was hoped to develop a fine water power. Mr. Stoddard had come from Canandaigua with Ezra Platt. After the 500 acre tract was surveyed it was purchased by Stod- dard and Platt, who erected a grist mill near the falls, which is believed to have been the first west of the Genesee River. Mr. Stoddard also built a large house for a tavern. When Genesee County was created he was appointed the first sheriff and held the office for three years. This was the beginning of the village of Le Roy, the history of which is essentially that of the town. A postoffice was established in 1804, with Asher Bates as post- master. The first store was opened in 1806 by George F. Tiffany. Other early merchants were David Emmons, Theodore Joy and Philo Pierson. Joy's store was one of the best known between Canandaigua and Buffalo. In 1812 J. & A. Nobles built a carding mill; Coe & Hurlburt established a brick yard, and Thomas Tufts built a distillery.
After the War of 1812 the village grew rapidly. By 1820 the population numbered about eighty families, with two hotels, James Ballard's hat factory, Hutchin's & Seavey's chair factory, Martin O. Coe's oil mill, and in 1822 Jacob Le Roy built a large flour mill north of the village. Late in the year 1833 a movement was started for the incorporation of the village. An act of the legislature brought this about May 5, 1834. At the house of Theo- dore Dwight, on the first Monday of the following June, the first meeting was held. Dennis Blakely, Theodore Dwight, Joshua Lathrop, John Lent and Rufus Robertson were elected trustees. Joshua Lathrop was chosen president of the board. The charter was amended by the legislature of 1857 extending the boundaries, and another amendment in 1897 authorized the election of village president by popular vote. The first president under the amended charter was L. T. Williams. The Bank of Le Roy was founded in 1838 and the Le Roy National Bank in 1902.
The town of Oakfield was erected from Elba April 11, 1842. It was the last town in Genesee County to be organized. The first town meeting was held shortly after the organization and Moses True was elected supervisor. In the spring of 1801, Aaron White and Erastus Wolcott located claims within the present limits of Oakfield. A little later Gideon Dunham settled in the oak openings, where he constructed the first tavern in the town.
1126
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
The place became widely known as Dunham's Grove. In the fall came Christopher Kenyon and Peter Rice. In 1811 Mr. Kenyon built the first sawmill and grist mill in the town. Other pioneers were : Philip Adkins, Daniel and Darius Ayer, Job Babcock, Solo- mon Baker, Benjamin Chase, David and Lemuel L. Clark, George and John Harper, Rufus Hastings, William McGrath, William Parrish, Silas Pratt, James Robinson and David Woodworth, all of whom had settled in the town by 1806. The greater part of the town's history is intimately associated with the village of Oak- field, where Alfred Cary opened a store in 1833. For about four years the place was known as Caryville. In 1837 the name was changed to Plain Brook and soon afterward to Oakfield. It was incorporated in 1858 and the first village election was held on August 7th of that year. West of the village is one of the finest gypsum deposits in the state. In 1842 Stephen Olmsted purchased the old Nobles mill at Oakfield. But the real development of the gypsum industry did not begin until after the completion of the West Shore Railroad in 1884. In 1892 the Olmsted Stucco Com- pany was formed, consisting of C. P., F. A. and H. W. Olmsted. Four years later the plant was sold to the English Plaster Com- pany. In 1905 this mill and the one known as the Emory mill were sold to the United States Gypsum Company, which in 1925 had a plant valued at a million dollars. The Niagara Gypsum Company began business at Oakfield in 1906. The Oakfield Gyp- sum Products Company and the Phoenix Gypsum Company began operations in 1920.
The town of Pavilion was formed from Covington, Wyoming County, May 19, 1841, five days after Wyoming County had been created. The name was suggested by Harmon J. Betts, who came from Saratoga, where he had been connected with the Pavilion Hotel. Isaac Matthews was elected supervisor soon after the town was erected. Isaac D. Lyon settled within the limits of the town in 1805 and for about two years was the only inhabitant. Rich- ard Walkley and a family named Lawrence settled near Lyon in 1907. During the next five years about fifty families settled in the town. Prominent among them were: Amasa, Barber and Isaachar Allen, Samuel Bishop, Leman Bradley, Lovell Cobb, Harry Conklin, Peter Crosman, H. B. Elwell, Francis Herrick, Dr. Benjamin Hill, Orange Judd, Calvin Lewis, Daniel Lord,
1127
HISTORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY
Elijah and Samuel Phelps, James and Jesse Sprague, Aaron Spaulding, Dr. Abel Tennant, Elliott, Ezra and Solomon Terrill, Dr. Daniel White and Sylvanus L. Young. Isaachar Allen, who was a son of Amasa Allen, held a captain's commission in the state militia ; Daniel Lord was a tailor ; Dr. Daniel White was a surgeon in the war; James Sprague and Aaron Spaulding built the first saw mill, located on the Oatka Creek near the center of the town; Bial Lathrop built the first grist mill on the same creek in 1816. The village of Pavilion dates from 1815, when Seth Smith opened a tavern there. Horace Bates was the first merchant, opening his store in 1817. The village experienced but little substantial growth, however, until after the opening of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway, in May, 1878. Benjamin F. Trescott es- tablished a fruit evaporator in 1880, which afforded the fruit growers of that section a ready market for the products of their orchards. In 1886 J. Q. D. Page began the manufacture of coop- erage. Two years later Henry Chilson built a steam flour mill. The success of the Le Roy Salt Manufacturing Company in sink- ing a well near the junction of the B. R. & P. and the D. L. & W. railroads in the northern part of Pavilion in 1884, led to the organization of the Pavilion Salt Mining Company in 1890. Title to 740 acres of land, on a direct line between Retsof and the Le Roy salt wells, was secured and a well was sunk. At a depth of 875 feet a vein of salt thirty-one feet thick was struck, but there was no brine and the project was temporarily abandoned. The Pavilion Salt Company was organized the next year by Lester H. Humphrey, of Warsaw, and Marcus E. Calkins, of Ithaca. It met with better success than its predecessors. A vein of salt rock over seventy feet thick was struck at a depth of 1,012 feet and found to be of unusually fine quality.
The town of Pembroke was erected from Batavia on June 8, 1812. David Goss, who came to this part of the county in 1804, was the first settler. When Pembroke was created it included the present town of Darien and the settlement of the two were contemporary. Among those who located in Pembroke between 1804 and 1812 were: Samuel Carr, Jonas Kinne, Joseph Lester, Dr. David Long and his son John. Mr. Carr located on Murder Creek in 1808 and opened a tavern. Soon after his arrival he built the first sawmill in the town and a little later erected the
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.