USA > New York > Erie County > Sardinia > History of the original town of Concord : being the present towns of Concord, Collins, N. Collins, and Sardinia, Erie County, New York > Part 26
USA > New York > Erie County > Collins > History of the original town of Concord : being the present towns of Concord, Collins, N. Collins, and Sardinia, Erie County, New York > Part 26
USA > New York > Erie County > Concord > History of the original town of Concord : being the present towns of Concord, Collins, N. Collins, and Sardinia, Erie County, New York > Part 26
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All the men liable to do military duty had been called to the frontier, only two or three who were exempt from age remained. When in the school room that Summer we could hear the can- non at Fort Erie, Chippewa and Lundy's Lane distinctly. We sometimes felt rather lonesome back in the wilderness and most of the men gone to the war.
In 1815, my father and Deacon Russell were highway com- missioners, and laid out the road through Springville on West. In 1815, I was married to Jeremiah Wilcox by Christopher Douglass, Esq., and moved down and commenced keeping house on the creek, about three-quarters of a mile east of the Hakes bridge On the 29th of February, 1816, there was a caucus down at Richmond's, and my brothers and others came down from the cast part of the town to attend the cau- cus ; 1, too, went down to visit with the Crosby folks, and left the house alone, and before we returned, the house and every- thing in it burned up. We went to the Barny Carny place and staid one year, and then went back onto the creek and kept tavern
The girls in the Richmond family were Anna, Betsey, Sally. and Louisa; the boys, George and Frederick. Richmond's log house was used for various kinds of public gatherings. I
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remember that when the town meeting was held there once or twice when the four towns were all in one; militia trainings were held there ; religious meetings were held there also, and they had good meetings, too. I remember that when Mr. Fay, of Townsend Hill was married, that for their wedding tour he and his wife, each with a good horse, took a horseback ride in good style down to Richmond's on Sunday to meeting. Social gatherings were held there, when sometimes nearly all from Sardinia village to Springville were present.
In those early days we had to endure many hardships and privations, but the people were generally friendly and we enjoyed ourselves very well, and had some very good times.
In 1820, we moved up on to lot thirty-three, township seven, range six, where the brick house now is, on the west side of Vaughan street. The families living on or near that street at that time, are Archibald Griffith, at East Concord, Nathan Godard and Cyrus Cheney, on the Steele place, William Wright, on the Bloodgood place, Jonathan Mayo, west of the road, Captain Wells, on south part of lot thirty-three, John Henman, Elijah Matthewson, Hale Matthewson, on the Hor- ton place, Abner Chase on road running west from Vaughan street, Culver lived where William Pingry does, Douglass lived down on the creek, old Mr Madison lived on the Byron Wells place, Deacon Jennings lived where William McMellan does and Ben Rhodes lived on the Jabez Weeden place.
When I first came to Springville, David Stickney kept hotel in a small log house near the Opera House. When we passed from one room to the other had to step over a log. Fred Rich- mond traded a little and Jinks and Stanard traded on Buffalo street, between the Methodist and Baptist churches. Not long after that Rufus C. Eaton kept hotel in the old yellow house that stood back of the Universalist church near the pond. I went to some shows there in 1819. The first frame house built in Springville was by David Leroy; it stood a little south of the Presbyterian church. Dr. Daniel Ingals lived in it after- wards. Don't know for certain what year the old hotel on Franklin street opposite the park was built, but I remember I went to a ball there in 1821. Harry Sears kept it then. I think the Eaton grist mill was built before 1820 I came here
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and had wool carded in 1817. I think there must have been a carding machine before Bradley came. I think Elliott com- menced trading in 1825 or '26. Dr. Churchill did some busi- ness in early times. Dr. Rumsey was a young man and died at Mr. Henman's house of consumption in the summer of 1816. Dr. Woodward was next and Dr. Reynolds, then Drs. Daniel and Varney Ingals. My father sold out in Sardinia to Dudley and Horace Clark and went to Elyra, O., and died there. Two or three years after we moved to Vaughan street we raised a fine crop of wheat, but could sell it for only three shillings, or three and six per bushel; we also had to sell sheep for fifty cents a head.
Mr. Wilcox died in Ashford, March 24, 1843.
My son John A. died in Minnesota.
Sardis, Abel and Alfred died in California.
Carlos E. died in Mexico.
Albert Tracy died in Kansas.
My daughter, L. O. Wilcox, died in 1839, aged eighteen years.
Maria married James Goodemote and lives in Ashford.
Lucy married Alden Kellogg and lives in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Boyles died in Nov. 1877.
Murray Chandler.
Murray Chandler, son of Elam Chandler and Sally Fleming Chandler, was born in Concord, Jan. 1, 1847. He was married March 29, 1876, to Filena Smith, daughter of Calvin Smith, Esq. of Springville. They have one child, Robert Smith Chandler, born Feb. 6, 1879. Mr. C. is a cheese maker and farmer. His father came to Concord from Vermont, and was engaged for a time in mercantile business at Ellicottville, N. Y .; now lives at Yorkshire, N. Y.
George Cosline.
George Cosline was born Dec. 15, 1844. in the town of Bos- ton, Erie county, N. Y., came to Concord in 1857; is a farmer and was married Nov. 9, 1859, to Janette Hickok, of the town of Concord. They have one son, George S. Cosline, who was born May 15, 1864. His brother, Henry Cosline, enlisted and
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served three years in the late war, and until discharged. George Cosline was drafted and paid $300 for a substitute. He was in the Mississippi Valley for seven years and cut two thousand cords of steamboat wood.
Albert Crosby.
Albert Crosby was born June 28, 1853, in Sardinia. His father's name was Hiram Crosby, and his mother's maiden name was Susan Jackman. He has worked at the business of farming and cheese making. He was married in 1874 to Miss Ella Smith, daughter of William Smith and Cinderrella Briggs Smith. They own and occupy a farm on lot fifty-three, town- ship seven, range 6, in the town of Concord.
They have two children :
Alonzo Erasmus, born June 18, 1875.
Elsie E., born March 30, 1877.
Statement of Vernam C. Cooper.
I was born in the town of Kingsbury, Washington county, N. Y .; my father's name was Samuel Cooper; my mother's maiden name was Betsey B. Armstead ; my father came to this town in 1809, and took up lot thirty-three, township seven, range six, but did not settle on it. and soon after sold it ; he returned East. In May, 1811, my father started from Washington county to move to this town. The family con- sisted of father, mother, myself and my younger sister Betsey. My uncle Nicholas Armstead and a small boy, George Arm- stead, came with us ; we came with two yoke of oxen hitched to our wagon and drove two cows; we were three weeks com- ing through and were compelled to camp out nights, frequently in the woods ; one or two basswood trees were cut for the cattle to browse upon ; mother prepared something for us to eat and we slept under the wagon ; I was so young that I cannot tell for certain the route we came, or all the incidents that occurred, but I think we came by way of Pike and Arcade; I remember when we passed the Tice place in this town ; they were burning brush on the sides of the road, and it was so hot that we could hardly get through safely ; we arrived on the 7th of June and located on lot nineteen, township seven, range seven, on land
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now owned by G. W. Spaulding; our house was built some distance west of his house on the south side of the road ; there was no saw mill in this town, and our house had to be built without lumber: the body was of logs, the roof was shingled with basswood bark, and the floor was made of plank split out of basswood logs, called "puncheons," and all the planing, matching and fitting they received was performed with an axe ; the door for the first Summer was a blanket hung up.
Thomas McGee came in soon after we did and located on lot eleven, the place that Laban Smith now owns.
James Brown came in soon after and settled on lot twenty, township seven, range seven.
His son, Obadiah Brown, located on lot twenty-eight, town- ship seven, range seven.
Isaac, Ezra, Hira and Daniel Lush, four brothers, came and settled on lot twenty-seven, township seven, range seven, where Hira C. Lush now lives. They came from Augusta, Oneida county.
Smith Russell came and settled on lot twelve, township seven, range seven, on the north side of the Genesee road, on land now owned by Henry Scott.
Channing Trevitt came and located on lot eighteen, township seven, range seven, and put up a saw mill in 1813, where the Wheeler Brothers now are.
Alexander Clements came and located where Samuel Stevens now lives.
All the above-named families came in and located before, and lived in this neighborhood during, the War of 1812-15. Most of them were called out to serve as soldiers on the Nia- gara frontier ; some of them went more than once. My father was drafted twice but hired substitutes each time. The first time he hired his brother-in-law, Nicholas Armstead, who got badly wounded; the second time, he hired Isaac Lush. Dur- ing the fore part of the war, the settlers feared that the Indians on the Cattaraugus and Buffalo Creek reservations might side with the British and make war on the settlers; but, when they learned that those Indians took sides against the British and assisted the Americans when desired, that fear passed away. The Indians were always very friendly with us, and used to
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stay at our house over night frequently, and mother, out of friendship and matter of policy, went down to the reservation visiting.
Immediately after the close of the war, settlers began to come in quite fast, and within two or three years the following families came to our neighborhood: Jonathan Spaulding, Benjamin Trevitts, John Andrews, Everett Fisher, Daniel Per- sons, Samuel Eaton, Asa Philips, Roswell Olcott, James Tyrer, Ambrose Cram, Ebenezer Merrick, Frederick Wood, Cary Clements, Samuel Sampson, Emery Sampson.
There was no grist mill in this town for several years after we came, and we had to go to Boston to get our grinding done, until Jonathan Townsend built his mill on Smith brook, in 1816.
People from Collins used to come to our house on their way to Boston to mill, and stay over night, and take our wagon and go on to Boston and get their grists ground, then come back and stay another night at our house, then in the morning hitch on to their drays and go winding through the woods with noth- ing but a path to follow to their homes in Collins.
A great many people used to stay at our house over night, some going to mill, some looking for land or moving, and fre- quently there would be six or eight there at a time. Once, father was digging a well, and, in order to prevent accidents, laid rails over the top at night, but one of our oxen recklessly walked onto the rails and went to the bottom ; but, by the use of ropes and the assistance of travelers stopping there that night, he was hoisted out and landed safely on terra firma.
A wolf once killed one of our sheep and dragged her up onto a big elm log, and was found there taking his breakfast in the morning.
One time, a bear killed one of my father's hogs, and he and Mr. Brown took the remains of the hog down by the little spring brook and baited a bear trap, which they constructed of logs and pins or stakes, and they caught the bear by one hind leg.
When we went to the trap, a large dog that had followed us into the county rushed up and attacked the bear in the trap. but the bear seized him in his fore paws, and would have hugged
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him to death. We tried to pry his paws apart with hand spikes to liberate the dog, but could not do it, and finally had to knock the bear in the head and killed him; we then took him up to the house and kept him several days for people to look at.
My father's family were ;
Vernam C. Cooper.
Betsey Cooper married Luke Simonds; lives in Concord.
Julia Ann married Jonathan Swain ; died in Colden.
Margaret died in this town twenty years ago.
Samuel died in Illinois twenty-seven years ago.
Phæbe died in Ohio eighteen years ago.
Elarky Lodusky lives in Concord.
Ezra Lush's mother was sister to my father, and Ezra's wife was sister to my wife.
Vernam C. Cooper's Family.
He married Keziah Sampson, July 28, 1828. Their children were :
Colvin Cooper.
Caroline married Job Woodward ; lives in Concord.
Cary married Helen Gray; he died in Kansas, 1879.
Ann married Frank Perkins ; he died nineteen years ago.
Clementine died when a child.
Carlos died when a child.
Leroy died at Staunton hospital, District of Columbia, Dec. 8, 1864, aged nineteen years, nine months and nineteen days.
William Wallace married Flora Stage ; lives in Concord.
John Wesley married Mariette Colburn ; lives in Concord.
The Cochran Family.
Samuel Cochran, who was one of the very first settlers in the present Town of Concord, was born Jan. 21, 1785, in the Town of Gifford, Vermont, and was married Nov. 6, 1805, to Catharine Gallup, who was born Feb. 22, 1787, in the Town of Colrain, Mass. He was descended from the Scotch Covenanters, who, flying from the persecutions under King James, settled in the North of Ireland ; while she was a descendant of a Hugenot
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family which had escaped from the massacre of St. Bartholo- mew. Soon after marriage, the youthful pair moved to Tioga county, N. Y., near the present Town of Painted Post, where they remained until the Fall of 1808, when, having found their location to be destitute of water in the dry season, they decided to go where living water was abundant.
At this time, the Holland Land company were distributing their circulars and maps, and inviting settlers to visit their lands. One of these fell into Cochran's hands, on which the present location of Springville was named "Cold Springs," on account of their abundance, coldness and purity. His late ex- perience decided him to visit the place for himself. In the month of September or October, 1808, in company with Joseph Yaw, an uncle of his wife, he started on foot, equipped with blanket, knapsack and staff, to visit Cold Springs, now Spring- ville. He came through the southern tier of counties to Angelica, and from there by what was known as the McClure settlement, in the Town of Franklinville, Cattaraugus county, Joseph McClure having cut to that place a sled road from Angelica, which was barely a track indicated by blazed trees, from which the logs had been cut and rolled away. McClure had been educated for the medical profession, but disliking it he had left Belchertown, Mass., and moved to Angelica, N. Y., in the Summer of 1804, when his skill and accuracy as a sur- veyor had attracted the attention of the principal surveyor and agent of the Holland Land company, Joseph Ellicott, by whom McClure was employed, and sent into the wilderness to survey the subdivisions of the Purchase, and appreciating the loveliness and fertility of the broad valley of the Ischua, he decided to make it his home and moved there in 1806. From this point, Cochran and Yaw had only blazed trees to guide them down the south branch of the Cattaraugus creek to the forks where they crossed to the north bank of the stream which they followed down as far as the place known as the George Shultus place. From this place, they came up the ravine to what is now called Cattaraugus street, to the site of the present Village of Springville. They found only the two families of Christopher Stone and John Albro. Stone on Buffalo street just south of. Eaton street, and Albro farther north.
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Cochran & Yaw took up lot 2; Cochran the south part. With the help of Albro & Stone they cut logs and rolled up the body of a house high enough to stand under the lowest side of the roof. This structure was located at the point of the hill about forty rods south-west of the Edward Goddard place, where a few years later Yaw built a house and spent his days. At first Cochran's house had no floor or window and not a nail in it. Pins driven into augur holes in the logs furnished shelv- ing, seats and table. They had what might be regarded as a novelty at the present day, a bedstead with only one leg to it, in which were two augur holes, receiving the two rails from the sides of the house which furnished the other legs and side, ready for bark cording, which, in those days, was considered a rather extravagant and great luxury. As soon as the shanty was ready Cochran returned for his wife, by way of Buffalo and Batavia, following only blazed trees as far as Boston, from which place a sled-road had been cut out to Buffalo. The first road or travelled path from Springville to Buffalo was up Frank- lin street to the Russell orchard, then by the Wilson place, Townsend Hill, Pike, Adams and Trevett's, to Boston. Coch- ran was soon ready to return to his future home, where his life was spent and where he and his wife rest in the beautiful cem- etery on the farm they so long occupied.
All their effects were easily packed on a small sled drawn by a yoke of steers, and the father, mother and child started for this wilderness home, by the way of Batavia and Williamsville. From the latter place he was nine days in reaching Springville, and this was only accomplished with the greatest exertion, often being compelled to cut and roll the logs from trees that had fallen across the track. Crossing the Buffalo creek on the ice was a serious affair. After the ice had first formed the water in the creek had fallen about a foot, the ice breaking along the bank had formed again below, leaving a strip of the first formation projecting from the bank. In crossing the run- ner of the sled ran so firmly under the ledge that the steers were unable to back it out. After vainly trying to extricate the sled, it being quite dark, he took the child in his arms and with his wife, walked nearly a mile, to the Indian Council House, where the Indians were holding one of their wild dances, feath.
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ers and paint giving them a hideous appearance. Here he left his wife and child, while he with two or three Indians, returned to extricate the sled, which delayed his return about two hours, which, to the young wife, seemed an age, alone with the howl- ing, painted savages. She had seldom seen Indians, but her mind was filled with stories of their savage ferocity and memory was faithful in bringing them all up fresh before her as they danced, howling around their camp-fire. One of the squaws took the baby in her arms and danced around the fire with it singing their war songs, which seemed to please the child far more than the mother, who expected every moment to see it tossed in the fire. Another took her fur-trimmed overcoat, put it on and followed in the dance and finally disappeared out-doors with it. Her feelings can better be imagined than described. Her child seemed safe but the thought that her fur-trimmed coat, the bridal-gift of her mother, was gone forever and she could not hide her tears. "White squaw, baby, cry," said one who could speak a little English.
At last her husband returned with the Indians who had accompanied him. All was right again, but that scene could never be forgotten by the mother. They stayed at the Council House all night. The Indians fed their steers and gave them breakfast for which they would take no remuneration. The only similar instance in their long journey. They obtained shelter nights and food until they reached Boston corners. Thence it took them two days to reach Springville, camping one night beside a fallen tree, between the Lewis Trevitt place and the Pike school-house, about five and one-half miles from their new house, which they reached on the following day.
When they left Boston they started very early with strong hopes to reach Springville that night, but a strong wind had prostrated several trees across their track, which had given them a day of the hardest labor to get through, but all in vain. The bright hopes of the morning were all blasted and though it was cold and blustering they were compelled to spend the night beside a fallen tree near the roots which were turned up. Hem- lock brush was piled on the ground and a covering of it on poles overhead, a fire built before it which kept Cochran busy through the night, to supply with fuel and tend while the
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mother had a six-months' child to keep comfortable and quiet. The steers had to make their supper and breakfast on browse. They were all ready for another early start and reached the shanty of John Russell, on lot one, near the angle (just west of the corporation line) on Franklin street, built since Cochran went for his wife. It was a pleasant surprise for Cochran and wife to come upon this, shanty in the wilderness, with its genial occupants and they were made welcome there the first night in Concord, and the wives formed a union that night, baptised with many tears (but they were tears of joy) that lasted all through their future lives. And their " pine-knot" torches often guided them through the woods, half a mile, from shanty to shanty, for a long winter evening's visit. The next morning Russell and Cochran went down together to Cochran's house to. clear out the snow which they found abundant in it, as the roof covered only about three-fourths of the top, no doors in it and no chinking had been done. But the snow was soon ejected and fire built at one end where there was not any roof and both wives were soon there getting their two suppers together. With what thrilling interest the survivors of these two families recounted these scenes over fifty years after.
Though greatly surprised by the addition of Russell and wife to the town since Cochran went for his family, he was disap- pointed in finding that Albro had lost his wife and left for his old home in the east. During the winter of 1808 and 1809, Stone, Cochrane and Russell were the only settlers within ten miles. Cochran and Russell were the two first permanent settlers of the town of Concord. Stone and Albro removing to other parts of the country. The first money earned by Cochran was by making ashes, boiling the lye into salts, in a two-pail iron kettle, and carrying the salts in a trough he had dug out, on his back to the ashery in Hamburg, twenty-two miles distant. With this money he was enabled to pay his bill made in Boston when moving into Concord. It is difficult to picture to ourselves the hardships of pioneer life. The winter blasts penetrated the hastily-built shanties. There were no fire-places and no chim- neys save a big hole in the roof, through which all the heat as well as the smoke escaped. The cattle lived on browse and for a while these hardy settlers had to supply much of their provis-
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ions from the game of the surrounding wilderness. They had no neighbors within ten miles. The curling smoke from these three humble but happy homes was all there was to cheer the forest gloom. Never were neighbors more highly prized than by those hopeful pioneers who where closely united by their common experiences and the necessities of their forest life.
Much of their out-door labor was done in common. Together they logged and cleared their land and soon each had three or four acres burned and in condition to plant corn and potatoes. They struggled hard under adverse circumstances to supply their actual wants. But sympathy and generous friendship made their lot happy and often in later years they were heard to call those early days of struggle and privation the happiest of their lives. Cochran and Russell with their wives, went on foot to Cary's, in Boston, ten miles, on a visit, each of the men carrying a baby in their arms. They did not start for the after- noon visit at five P. M. Nor did they return the same evening, but took two days for the trip and felt well paid. . This visit was soon returned by Asa Cary and wife.
A few years later, when Peter Pratt had settled in Collins, now known as Zoar, Russell, Cochran, and their wives, and Albro, who had returned with a young wife, went with an ox sled eight miles to spend an evening at his house. It took a good part of the day to get there and all night to get back. Still no doubt they worked lively and gossiped very little about their neighbors. About this time Cochran heard that a man named Waterman had settled upon the Cattaraugus Creek, where the village of Gowanda is now situated. As there were Watermans in his native town he determined to visit him in hopes to hear from his eastern home again. To accomplish this he first went eight miles to get Peter Pratt's old mare on which his wife could ride and carry the baby, for he had come to the conclusion after carrying the baby to Boston and back that baby had got big enough to ride a horse, while he was needed to go ahead and pick out the way, there not being any road. They travelled over twenty-five miles, over the terrible breakers and ravines of Zoar, along the Cattaraugus creek, then an unbroken wilder- ness, to reach Waterman's. On their return the mare's colt broke its leg, which caused another day's delay. The visit
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