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 57
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The town of Chautauqua was established April 11, 1804, its territory having previously included the town of Batavia; it embraced originally all of the present Chautauqua County except a strip along the eastern border ; it was organized by a town meet- ing at the Cross Roads (now Westfield) on April 2, 1805. John McMahan was elected supervisor. Following the organization of the county, settlement went forward rapidly. Among those who came between 1808 and 1811 were: William Bateman, Daniel and Nathan Cheney, John Mason, Darius Schofield and Captain John Scott. William Bateman and Philo Hopson built a sawmill a little north of the present village of Hartfield at an early date. Shortly after the county was created Margaret Lowry and her ten sons came from Ireland; they were Alexander, Andrew, George, Hugh, James, John, Morrow, Robert, Samuel and Wil- liam. Several of them settled in Erie County, Pennsylvania; George and Morrow located at Mayville; Nathaniel A., a son of
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Alexander, was an early settler at Jamestown, and Hugh W., of the second generation in America, was a merchant at Westfield.
When the commissioners selected the site of Mayville for the county seat in 1808, the only persons living in the vicinity were Alexander McIntyre, Peter Barnhart, William Prendergast, Dr. John E. Marshall and two or three others. William Peacock, as agent for the Holland Land Company, established a land office there in 1810, and the same year Anselm Potter and Dennis Brackett, the first attorneys in the county, opened their offices. Waterman Tinkcom came from Saratoga County and opened a tavern. George Lowry was also an early innkeeper. The stone vault of the land office was still standing in 1920. Jediah and Martin Prendergast opened the first store in Mayville in 1811; the former was also a physician.
The village was incorporated in 1830. The Mayville Academy was incorporated in April, 1834, and in the fall of that year Wil- liam Kibbe began the publication of the Mayville Sentinel. The first church was built by the Baptists in 1834, though the society had been organized in February, 1820. The Methodist Episcopal Church was formed about the same time as the Baptists. St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church was formed in 1823. St. Peter's German Evangelical Church was organized in 1871; the Lutherans organized the year before. A Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at Dewittville in 1835, and a Christian Church in December, 1852. Other churches in the town are the Methodist Episcopal at Summit Station, organized in 1849; Mount Pleasant United Brethren Church, southeast of Mayville, organized in 1858; and the United Brethren in Christ of Elm Flats, organized in February, 1863.
On May 4, 1829, the northern part of Ellington was set off as a new town. Joshua Bentley, Jr., was employed to survey its boun- daries and found the center of the town to be on an island in a small stream. Cutting down a small cherry tree, he fashioned it into a stake and drove it into the ground to mark the center. As the stream had no name, he called it Cherry Creek, and from this the town derived its name. The first town meeting was held at the house of George H. Frost. The records have disappeared, but from other sources it is learned that James Carr was the first supervisor.
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In the spring of 1815 the first settler came into the town in the person of Joseph M. Kent, who brought his wife and seven children from Onondaga County. Joshua Bentley, Jr., came the following September from the town of Ellery. He was one of the surveyors who ran the lines in this part of the county before any settlements were made. Other early settlers were: Eben Abbey, Abraham T. Andrus, Henry Babcock, Aaron and John Bartlett, Ira Bassett, Thomas Berry, Almeron Bly, Oliver Car- penter, Elam Edson, Putnam Farrington (a general in the War of 1812), Myron Field, George H. Frost, Julius Gibbs, Jotham Godfrey, Daniel Hadley and his two sons, Horatio Hill, Robert James, Rollins and William Kilbourn, John Lawrence, Elkanah Steward and Pliny Shattuck The first school was taught by Reuben Cheney, and Seth Grover opened the first store. Horace Morgan was the first physician.
The first log cabin in the village of Cherry Creek was built by James Marks in the fall of 1815; in 1824 it was fitted up for a schoolhouse, and Angeline Pickering taught the first school. George H. Frost built the second house there in 1823, and opened a tavern. When the postoffice was established in 1832 he was appointed postmaster and then kept a store. A Free Baptist Church was organized by Rev. Thomas Grinnell in 1826, the first religious organization in the village; the First Baptist Church was organized in October, 1832, with twelve members; the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, in 1857, with seven members; a Christian church, organized in 1839, was disbanded in 1861. An Odd Fel- lows lodge was instituted on April 6, 1852, with six members. The next year a Masonic lodge was organized with nine charter members, and William S. Blaisdell as master. Bullock Post, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized November 2, 1882. Cherry Creek was incorporated on May 20, 1893. C. A. Mount was the first president.
The town of Clymer was created February 9, 1821, and was named for George Clymer, one of the Pennsylvania signers of the Declaration of Independence. The first town meeting was held at the house of Gardner Cleveland April 3, 1821. Ande Nobles was elected supervisor. Gardner and John Cleveland located near the southwest corner of the town in 1820. The Clevelands were soon followed by H. E. Brownell, Roger Haskell, John Heath, William
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Rice, Anson and Horace Starkweather, Nathaniel and William Thompson, Ande Nobles and Joseph Wing.
John Stow opened the first store in 1823; Peter Jaquins built the first sawmill in 1825; also the first grist mill was built by Mr. Jaquins in 1826; Roswell F. Van Buren, who came in 1826, was the first physician; and the first tannery was established by Ebenezer Brownell in 1830. Alvin Williams was the first inn- keeper. At Clymer Village, about 1860, Leonard Koonan estab- lished one of the largest tanneries in western New York.
The town of Dunkirk was erected from the northern part of Pomfret November 17, 1859. George M. Abell was the first supervisor. Seth Cole located at the mouth of the Canadaway Creek in 1805, on land bought from Zattu Cushing. It seems that he was the only resident in this section of the county for about three years. In 1808, John Brigham and Timothy Goulding set- tled where the city of Dunkirk now stands. The next year came Solomon Chadwick and Luther Goulding. From the former, the settlement and harbor became known as "Chadwick's Bay." Daniel Pier was another early settler in this locality. About 1816, Daniel Garnsey purchased the farms of the two Gouldings, Daniel Pier, Solomon Chadwick and a few others for a company com- posed of De Witt Clinton, a Mr. Thorn, Isaiah and John Townsend and Elisha Jenkins, trustee for the company. For a short time the place was known as "Garnsey's Bay," but in 1817 Mr. Jenkins gave it the name of Dunkirk. Under the head of "Marine News," the Chautauqua Gazette of May 19, 1818, contained the following item :
"Garnsey's Bay, Dunkirk, May 17, 1818 .- Cleared: Sloop Independence for Sandusky, passengers, lumber and potatoes. Arrived: Schooner Firefly from Detroit, with passengers. Schooner Blacksnake from Erie, with passengers and fish. Schooner Buffalo Packet, with passengers and furniture. Schooner Eliza, of Sandusky, with passengers. Sloop Livona from Buffalo, with passengers. Cleared: Firefly for Buffalo, Blacksnake for Buffalo, Buffalo Packet for Buffalo, President Monroe for Buf- falo, Livona for the River Raisin with passengers."
That same year the Walk-in-the-Water, the first steamboat on Lake Erie, was added to the list of boats that made the port of Dunkirk regularly. The little steamer made regular trips between
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Black Rock and Detroit, stopping at Dunkirk and other towns. The boat was lost in a storm near Buffalo in November, 1821. In 1827, Congress appropriated $4,000 for the improvement of the harbor and the erection of a lighthouse.
Dunkirk was incorporated as a village in 1837. The first bank was started in 1844 by A. J. Webb, and the first railroad train arrived on May 14, 1851. In 1858 the state built an armory, which later became the city hall. During the Civil war Dunkirk was the center of military action for the congressional district. Troops were mobilized there for their departure for the front; the state arsenal was the rallying point for volunteers and the headquarters of the provost-marshal. After the war the village experienced a boom. The Erie Railroad shops were leased by Horatio G. Brooks in October, 1869, and on November 11, 1869, the Brooks Locomotive Works were incorporated. Adam Fink was the first manufacturer. He was an expert ax maker and made the first steel-edged tools in the county. During Andrew Jackson's administration he was postmaster at Dunkirk. The large manufacturing industries in 1923 included the Atlas Cru- cible Steel Company, the Dunkirk and Essex Glass companies, the Continental Heater Company, the Romer Axe Company and the United States Radiator Corporation.
Dunkirk was incorporated as a city February 19, 1880, and in March Horatio G. Brooks was elected the first mayor.
The town of Ellery was set off from Chautauqua February 28, 1821. Almon Ives was the first supervisor. Settlement began in the spring of 1806, when William Bemus located on the lake shore at the place afterward known as Bemus' Point. About two weeks later Jeremiah Griffith settled at Griffith's Point. Abijah Bennett and Alanson Weed came a little later, and for about three years they were the only inhabitants of the town. In 1809, John and Joseph Silsby settled on the lake shore about two miles south- east of Bemus; William Barrows located on the Cassadaga Creek; Josiah Hovey built his cabin near that of Barrows. Clark Parker, Enos Warner and William Smiley were other early settlers. John Silsby was captain of a Chautauqua County company in the War of 1312. Clark Parker was an ensign in this company, and two sons of William Smiley-Joseph and William-were privates.
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The latter was killed in the engagement at Buffalo, December 29, 1813.
William Bemus built the first sawmill in 1808, and three years later the first grist mill. A carding and cloth-pressing plant was started at an early date by Tubal C. Owens on Bemus Creek. The Baptist Church at West Ellery was organized in 1808 by Elder Jones. The Baptist Church of Ellery Center was organized in 1814, with Rev. Asa Turner as the first pastor. The First Uni- versalist Church was organized in June, 1822, with twenty-three members, and Rev. Isaac George as pastor. It removed to Bemus Point in 1858. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Pickard Hill was organized in 1830 with twelve members. Rev. J. C. Ayers was the first pastor. The next year the Methodist Episcopal Church of West Ellery was formed by Rev. William Chandler, who was the first pastor. The United Brethren Church at Pick- ard Hill was organized in 1869.
On June 1, 1812, the southern part of Pomfret was cut off to form a new town, which was named for Joseph Ellicott, for many years connected with the Holland Land Company. When first created it included the towns of Carroll, Kiantone and Poland, and part of Busti. The first town meeting was held in April, 1813, at the house of Joseph Akin. James Prendergast was elected supervisor. The first settlers were James Culbertson, George W. Fenton and William Wilson, who came in the spring of 1806. During the next three years several families located in the town. Among them were: John Arthur, who bought out. George W. Fenton, Joseph Akin, Nathaniel Bird, William Deland, Darius Dexter, Benjamin Lee, Robert Russell, Jonas Simmons, Thomas Sloan, John Strunk and Edward Work. James Prender- gast bought 1,000 acres of land where Jamestown now stands in 1808 and built the first house there in 1810. In 1808 Edward Work built the first sawmill in the town on the outlet of Chau- tauqua Lake near the present village of Falconer. The next year he built a grist mill.
There are two incorporated villages in the town-Falconer and Celoron. The former was named for the Scotch family of Falconers who were among the pioneers of this section. It was: incorporated in 1891. Celoron was incorporated in 1896. It was named for the French officer, Captain Bienville de Celoron, who
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was sent to this region in 1749 to take possession in the name of France. Lakewood, on the line between Ellicott and Busti, was incorporated in 1893.
The town of Ellington was set off from Gerry on April 1, 1824, and at first included the town of Cherry Creek. The first town meeting was held on March 1, 1825, at the house of Lucretia French. James Thacher was elected supervisor. Joshua Bentley and his son, Joshua Bentley, Jr., are credited with having been the first settlers; they came in 1814. Other settlers who came before the town was organized were: George Anderson, Abner and James Bates, Daniel and Nathan Billings, Oliver Bugbee, Israel Carpenter, Benjamin Carr, Henry Day, Julius Dewey, Joseph B. Eddy, Benjamin Ellsworth, Orrin Fairbanks, Benjamin Follett, Nathaniel Fuller, David and Ira Gates, Daniel and Elijah Green, Isaac Harmon, Abraham Holland, Ward King, Ora Kings- ley (father of the late Bishop Calvin Kingsley, of the Methodist Episcopal Church), Simon Lawrence, John Leach, Henry and Samuel McConnell, Otis Page, Reuben Penhollow, Enos Preston, David Ransom, Hosea and Seymour Saxton, David C. Spear, Charles Thacher, James Tracy, David and John Woodward. The first sawmill was built by Simon Lawrence, in 1820; the first grist mill was built the same year by Ward King; the first post- office was established in 1817 at the house of Benjamin Follett, who was appointed postmaster ; the first store was opened at Olds' Corners by Camp, Colville & Holbrook; the first tannery was started in 1828 by Elliott Mason; William Ware was the first physician.
A Christian church was organized in 1823 by Rev. Freeman Walden, and it continued in existence until 1879. The Baptist Church was organized in April, 1828, by Rev. A. C. Andrus. The Congregational Church was also organized in 1828 with ten mem- bers. In 1845 its name was changed to the "First Presbyterian Church of Ellington."
In January, 1850, the Ellington Academy was incorporated and the first term of school was opened in the fall of 1852, with William C. J. Hall as principal. On February 11, 1853, it was granted an academic charter by the regents of the state univer- sity and continued in active operation until March 23, 1871, when
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it was turned over to the district board of education for a union school. In October, 1899, it became the Ellington High School.
On April 23, 1829, the town of Clymer was divided and the western part was erected into a new town called French Creek, from a stream which flows through the town, and which was used by the French in their early military expeditions. The first town meeting was held in March, 1830, at the house of William Hooper. Alexander Wilson was elected supervisor. The first settlements were made while the territory was included in other towns and the names of most of the pioneers are given in connection with the town of Clymer-among them Ande Nobles, the Clevelands, the Thompsons and others. Amos Beebe, John Dodge and Wil- liam Graves came during the War of 1812. In 1815, Parley Bloss and his seven sons arrived. They were Adam, Benjamin, Calvin, Parley Jr., Reuben, Richard and William. The father was one of the first highway commissioners; he also did surveying. Gardiner Case, Roswell Coe and Silas Terry were among the pioneers. Silas Terry was justice of the peace for sixteen years and afterward held the office of supervisor. His son, Seward W., was captain of Company G, Forty-ninth New York Infantry, and was killed at Spottsylvania in the spring of 1864.
A Baptist church was organized in 1821 by a minister named Ashford, but it survived only a few years. In 1830 a Methodist Episcopal church was organized by Rev. J. K. Hallock. A Chris- tian church was organized in 1834.
Gerry is one of the older towns of the county, having been formed from Pomfret June 1, 1812. When first erected it in- cluded the present towns of Charlotte, Cherry Creek and Elling- ton. At that time Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was a candidate for vice president and the new town was named in his honor. The first town meeting was held in the spring of 1813 at the house of Samuel Sinclear, who was elected supervisor.
A small settlement was made near Sinclairville as early as 1810, but most of the residents were afterward included in the town of Charlotte. In 1815, William Alverson, Reuben and Solo- mon Fessenden, Dexter and Nathan Hatch and Porter Phelps brought their families from Vermont and formed a settlement on the Cassadaga Creek. A little later came James and Willard
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Bucklin, Caleb Mathews and a few others, and the settlement became known as "Vermont Corners." In 1820 James Bucklin opened a hotel there, which caused the place to be called "Bucklin's Corners;" when the postoffice was established in 1822 it was named Vermont. Dexter Hatch was the first postmaster. Caleb Mathews started a pottery in 1822; Solomon Fessenden estab- lished a brickyard about the same time, and, in 1826, Howard B. Blodgett opened the first store.
When the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh Railroad was completed in 1871, a station was located at Vermont. The name of the postoffice was changed to Gerry in 1876 and, about five years later, this name was adopted by the railroad company. As early as 1838 the manufacture of veneers and wooden ware was commenced. In 1845 Riley Greenleaf invented and put in successful operation the first machine for cutting veneer in a con- tinuous sheet from a revolving log. These machines are now used in all parts of the country and one of the largest veneer mills in the United States-the Strong Veneer Company-is located in Gerry.
The First Baptist Church of Gerry was organized in 1820 by Rev. Jonathan Wilson, but it did not long survive. The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized by the same minister in 1819. The first Methodist Protestant Society was organized in May, 1839. The Free Methodist Church of Gerry was organized in 1880, and took a large number of the members from the Methodist Protestant organizations. Through the influence of the Free Methodist Church the Gerry Orphanage and Old People's Home was established. In 1888 Rev. Walter A. Sellew offered to donate the seminary property, consisting of eight acres of land and a two-story building. This offer was accepted by the trustees and the home was opened in June, 1889, with Rev. O. O. Bacon and wife in charge; in 1900 a new three-story building was erected.
The town of Hanover was set off from Pomfret on June 1, 1812; it was not organized, however, until April 4, 1814, when a meeting was held for that purpose at the house of Daniel Hol- brook. Daniel Russell was elected supervisor. Charles Avery was the first to purchase land in the town, but Amos Sawtell, previously mentioned, was the first actual settler. When Avery settled on his land in 1804, he found Sawtell and Ezekiel Lane
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living near the mouth of the Cattaraugus Creek. William G. Sidney came about the same time as Avery, and opened a tavern which he called the "Cattaraugus House." Between 1804 and 1812 a number of families came, among them Joseph Brownell, Jacob Burgess, Thomas Chapman, Abel Cleveland, David Dickin- son, Aaron Dolph, Reuben Edmonds, Daniel Farnham, Ephraim Hall, Daniel Holbrook, John E. Howard, Amos Ingraham, Elijah Lane, David and Erastus Scott, Elisha, Jesse and John Skinner, Isaac Smith, John Snyder, Rufus Washburn, James Webb and Guy Webster.
A postoffice was established in the Cattaraugus settlement at an early date under the name of Acasto. About 1836 the name was changed to Irving. There were then two small villages near the mouth of the creek. The lower village, where the postoffice was located, was called Irving, and the upper village was called La Grange. About 1843 C. R. Deland was appointed postmaster and moved the office to the upper village, which is now known as Irving. At Forestville the first house was built by Jehiel Moore in 1808. He built a saw mill that year, utilizing the water of Walnut Creek for power, and the next year he built a grist mill. Among the leading pioneers of the village were: Dr. Amos Avery, Jonathan L. Bartoo, Albert H. Camp, William Colville, Daniel and Harvey Holbrook, John Hurlbut, George Love, Nathan Mixer, Adolphus and Orrin Morrison, William Patterson and Daniel Sherman. The village was first called Walnut Falls. When the postoffice was established it was given the name of Hanover, which, through the influence of George Love, was subsequently changed to Forestville. Forestville was incorporated in 1848. A Baptist church was organized in 1817, and Methodist Episcopal, Free Methodist and Protestant Episcopal churches came later.
Silver Creek was settled by Abel Cleveland and David Dickin- son in 1805. The early merchants were Stephen Clark, John E. Howard and Manning Case. Dr. Jacob Burgess, the first physi- cian, came in 1811. When the postoffice was established it was called Fayette. In 1828 Oliver Lee bought out John E. Howard and opened a store in connection with the mill property. In 1832, while William Van Duzer was postmaster, the office was moved to Lee's store, on the east side of Walnut Creek, and was given the name of Silver Creek. With the building of the Erie and Lake
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Shore railroads in 1851-52, a machine shop and some factories were established by enterprising citizens. In 1856 the village was incorporated.
The town of Harmony was taken from Chautauqua February 14, 1816. As originally created, it extended from Chautauqua Lake to the Pennsylvania line, but in 1920 it was divided, the northern part being erected into the town of North Harmony. The first town meeting was held at the house of Eleazer Fletcher on April 4, 1814. Palmer Phillips was elected supervisor.
Settlement began in January, 1806, when Thomas Bemus, then a bachelor, built his log cabin on lot 54, opposite Bemus Point. In May. of that year, Jonathan Cheney brought his family and settled at the place still known as Cheney's Point. Between that time and the creation of the town in 1816, several families located within its limits. Among them were: Myron Bly, Josiah Car- penter and his sons-Daniel B., James, Josiah Jr., Isaac and Timothy-Timothy Jenner, Daniel Loomis, Thomas and William Matteson, Obediah Morley, Simeon Powers, Isaiah Rexford, Reu- ben and Thomas Slayton. In 1809, Reuben Slayton built the first sawmill near Ashville, and later built a grist mill. Theron Bly and Daniel Sherman built a wool carding mill in 1822, and a little later cloth dressing machinery was installed by Hiram Benedict. Alvin Williams opened a store where the village of Ashville now stands in the fall of 1822, and also built an ashery. Adolphus Fletcher built the second ashery soon after. Ephraim Berry and another person also engaged in the business, and these industries gave the name to the village. James McClellan opened the first tavern about 1824, and in 1826 Daniel and Joseph Williams estab- lished a tannery.
The village of Panama was settled a little later than Ash- ville. A school house was built there in 1823, and Jesse Smith taught the first school. The next year, he and Horatio Dix built a sawmill and a little later added a grist mill. In 1824, Moses Cushman, who had been engaged in the Cuban trade and had suffered financial reverses, opened a store and gave the place the name of Panama. He was appointed postmaster in March, 1826, and was prominent in local affairs until his death in 1833. Panama was incorporated in 1861.
The first religious services in the town were held at Blockville,
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a small hamlet about three miles southwest of Ashville, by Rev- erend Simeon Powers and a Baptist church was organized there in May, 1817. The Baptist Church at Ashville was organized in 1828, and the one at Panama in 1834. The Free Baptist Church of Harmony was organized at King's Corners in Decem- ber, 1840. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Blockville was organized in January, 1822. The First Congregational Church of Ashville was organized in June, 1820, by Rev. John Spencer. A church of this denomination was formed at Panama on Novem- ber 28, 1830, by Revs. Justin Marsh, Samuel Leonard and Isaac Jones. Some years later it became the First Presbyterian Church of Panama.
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